Understanding the Duration of Stay for US Citizens in Canada: Guidelines and Regulations ▷ Lawful - Rey Abogado (2023)

FAQs

How long can I stay in Canada as a US citizen? ›

Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada. If you're allowed to enter Canada, the border services officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months. If so, they'll put the date you need to leave by in your passport. They might also give you a document.

If you want to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor (stay in Canada longer), you need to apply for a visitor record. A visitor record is not a visa.

To keep your permanent resident status, you must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years. These 730 days don't need to be continuous. Some of your time abroad may count towards the 730 days. See can my time abroad count towards my permanent resident status?

How long are you welcome to visit another country? A Canadian can stay for up to 182 days per calendar year (without paying U.S. income tax). Visitors can stay for maximum of six months in each 12 months (not a calendar year, but counting backwards 12 months from your date of entry).

If you plan to stay outside of the United States for more than one year but less than two years, you will need a re-entry permit for readmission. You must be physically present in the United States when you file the Form I-131 to apply for the permit.

3) Can I live in Canada as an American citizen? Yes, if you are an American citizen, you may live in Canada. If your stay exceeds 180 days, you will most likely need a visa. You will also need a visa or work permit if you intend to work in Canada.

You can leave and come back to Canada multiple times as long as your visitor visa has not expired.

Multiple entry visitor visas permit the holder to travel to Canada for six months at a time as many times as they want, as long as the visa remains valid. They can be valid for up to 10 years, but the exact validity period is at the discretion of the visa officer issuing it.

For tourist visits to Canada of less than 180 days, U.S. citizens do not need visas. Other types of travel generally require visas. Visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website for current information. If you have a criminal record, you may be unable to enter Canada.

Every day you spent in Canada as a permanent resident counts as a full day. Every day you spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before you become a permanent resident counts as a half day up to a maximum of 365 days.

Can I lose my citizenship if I live outside Canada? ›

A simple answer is no.

Canadians are allowed to take foreign citizenship while keeping their Canadian citizenship. Ask the embassy of your country of citizenship about its rules before applying for Canadian citizenship.

In actual fact, you can be absent from Canada as long as you want. The Canadian government recognizes that citizens may travel extensively, work or study abroad. You will always maintain your Canadian citizenship. What absentia may affect is your Canadian health care coverage and income tax.

The applicant has been absent from the United States for more than 6 months (180 days) but less than 1 year (365 days). As such, the applicant must be able to rebut the presumption of a break in the continuity of residence in order to meet the continuous residence requirement for naturalization.

You can stay in Canada while waiting for your permanent residence as long as you maintain legal status. Temporary resident status is valid for a specific period of time and you must ensure that your status as a temporary resident remains valid while you are in Canada.

While the normal limit is a year, you can stay longer and still preserve your US citizen if you are a military service member, Government employee, or meet any other criteria discussed above i.e., work for a US multinational or you proactively preserve residence.

You may lose your U.S. citizenship in specific cases, including if you: Run for public office in a foreign country (under certain conditions) Enter military service in a foreign country (under certain conditions) Apply for citizenship in a foreign country with the intention of giving up U.S. citizenship.

Four Years and One Day Rule

An applicant who is subject to the 3-year continuous residence requirement may apply 2 years and 1 day after returning to the United States to resume permanent residence. This is known as the “four years and one day” rule and is described in 8 CFR §316.5(c)(1)(ii).

If you have Social Security credits in both the United States and Canada, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country's system, you will get a regular benefit from that country.

Canada does not have a provision to issue a retirement visa to anyone. Canada is more affordable to live in than the US, where real estate and healthcare are costly. You don't have to apply for a visa to cross the border from the US to Canada.

Do US citizens pay taxes if they live in Canada? ›

Do I still need to file a U.S. tax return? Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien living outside the United States, your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you live.

With a valid eTA, you can travel to Canada as often as you want for short stays (normally for up to six months at a time). You do not need an eTA for travel within Canada. An eTA doesn't guarantee entry to Canada. When you arrive, a border services officer will ask to see your passport and other documents.

You can claim goods worth up to CAN$800 without paying any duty and taxes. You must have the goods with you when you enter Canada. You can bring back up to 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages or up to 8.5 litres of beer.

While valid, a multiple entry visa will let you travel to Canada for six months at a time as many times as you want. It will be valid for up to 10 years or one month before your passport expires, whichever is shorter.

There is no statutory limit on the number of times a person can extend visitor status. Instead, the officer will consider the history of the applicant, the purpose of the visit, and whether there is a valid reason to continue visiting.

You can come to Canada as many times as you wish as long as your eTA remains valid.

American citizens, including American-Canadian citizens, must carry proper identification and meet the basic requirements to enter Canada. You do not need a Canadian passport, a Canadian visa or an eTA to enter Canada if you are travelling with a valid U.S. passport.

An American citizen can rent in Canada as long as they already have a work visa, student permit or permanent residency. Landlords may require additional paperwork to prove your ability to pay rent, though, as well as potentially asking for a guarantor to co-sign the lease to safeguard their rental income.

If you entered Canada and you did not need a visa but want to stay longer, you must apply for an extension and pay a fee. This must be done from inside Canada. You should apply for an extension at least 30 days before your status expires – usually 6 months from the day you entered Canada.

Your residency status if you entered Canada

You may be considered a deemed resident of Canada if you have not established significant residential ties with Canada to be considered a factual resident, but you stayed in Canada for 183 or more days in the year.

How do you prove physical presence in Canada? ›

This can be your passport. If you don't have a passport, you need to include 2 other identity documents. For example, you could use your Ontario health card and your driver's licence. You can't use your permanent resident card as one of your identity documents.

There is no legal problem with holding a PR in both countries.

A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to his or her U.S. citizenship. However, persons who acquire a foreign nationality after age 18 by applying for it may relinquish their U.S. nationality if they wish to do so.

No Longer Can One Lose U.S. Citizenship By Living in Another Country. At this time, no penalties exist if a naturalized U.S. citizen simply goes to live in another country. This is a distinct benefit of U.S. citizenship, since green card holders can have their status taken away for "abandoning" their U.S. residence.

Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), Home Buyers' Plan (HBP), and Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) If you hold a TFSA when you leave Canada, you can keep it and continue to benefit from the exemption from Canadian tax on investment income and withdrawals.

Here are the benefits of dual citizens holding a Canadian and American citizenship: Possessing two passports can make border-crossing go more smoothly. You can vote in either country. You can move freely between and live in either of the two countries.

As for the "dual citizenship" aspect of this inquiry, there is no separate application procedure by which one must apply for it. If you're already a citizen of either the U.S. or Canada and become a citizen of the other without taking active steps to renounce your original citizenship, you are a dual citizen.

Yes, it is legal to have more than one passport in your possession and under your name, but it depends which country you are a citizen of. Many people don't get rid of old passports so they have multiple passports, while some other people also have more than one passport that is valid since they are dual nationals.

Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada. If you're allowed to enter Canada, the border services officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months. If so, they'll put the date you need to leave by in your passport. They might also give you a document.

U.S. immigration law assumes that a person admitted to the United States as an immigrant will live in the United States permanently. Remaining outside the United States for more than one year may result in a loss of Lawful Permanent Resident status.

How do I maintain U.S. residency while living abroad? ›

A.

Applicants for naturalization under INA 316(a) are required to demonstrate physical presence in the United States for at least 30 months (at least 913 days) before filing the application.

As a United States citizen, you can obtain Canadian citizenship just as any other foreign national but you need to become a Permanent Resident first.

To keep your permanent resident status, you must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years. These 730 days don't need to be continuous. Some of your time abroad may count towards the 730 days.

You can leave and come back to Canada multiple times as long as your visitor visa has not expired.

Normally, people who are not U.S. citizens may receive U.S. Social Security benefits while outside the U.S. only if they meet certain requirements. Under the agreement, however, you may receive benefits as long as you reside in Canada, regardless of your nationality.

The country is the third largest in the world in land mass and has just over 36 million people. The three biggest virtues the Canadian society offers its new immigrants are – an excellent public health care system, high quality of living, and the lowest crime rates. These reasons make Canada your first choice.

In actual fact, you can be absent from Canada as long as you want. The Canadian government recognizes that citizens may travel extensively, work or study abroad. You will always maintain your Canadian citizenship. What absentia may affect is your Canadian health care coverage and income tax.

Instead, there are a variety of different programs to establish residence in the country. The majority of Americans who retire in Canada are either dual citizens or have a Canadian spouse who can bring them in under the family sponsorship program.

You must have worked and paid Social Security taxes in five of the last 10 years. • If you also get a pension from a job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes (e.g., a civil service or teacher's pension), your Social Security benefit might be reduced.

How long can you live outside the U.S. without losing Social Security? ›

If you leave the U.S., we will stop your benefits the month after the sixth calendar month in a row that you are outside the country. You can make visits to the United States for specific periods of time, depending on how long you've been outside, to continue receiving your benefits.

There is no specific age limit requirement for any Canadian immigration program.

Most people need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada – not both. You do not need a visa for short visits (normally up to six months).

Conclusion. Overall, both Canada and the US are fairly expensive to live in. Canada has much higher housing costs but healthcare costs are much more expensive in the US. While US salaries are slightly higher, Canadians have a much easier time making a higher salary with less education.

Generally speaking, moving to Canada is not too difficult. Because Canada is open to welcoming new immigrants and offers several immigration programs, it's easier for you to qualify for one immigration stream. Still, you have to meet the requirements for the pathway you want to apply for.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are entitled to free public healthcare, while tourists and visitors are not. However, anyone in Canada can seek private healthcare.